Wenner, Wenner Chicken Dinner

Brothers Dane and Dalton Wenner earned Northwest Regional 2A wrestling titles Saturday as Cranberry qualified four athletes for the state PIAA  Championships next weekend. 

"To have them both rise to the occasion is one the biggest moments of my life. I'm speechless," said Dustin Wenner, their father and head coach of the Cranberry wrestling program, "I thank the Lord for the blessing." 

"It's pretty special to be brothers and win this," Dalton said following the podium honors. It is the second win in as many years for 114 pound competitor. Last year, he won the title in the 107 bracket. 

"Last year, he got first. And I know he is my little brother but I looked up to that. " Dane, who finished third in his bracket last year. 

Dalton moves to 37-4 on the season after going 3-0 in the tourney. His final match up was against Carter Beck of Saegertown, who also quailfied for the state competition last year. The pair battled to a 3-2 decision in Dalton's favor. The Berry had a takedown in the first period to go up 2-0. Beck escaped to get himself on the score board. He repeated the achievement in the second period, which started with Dalton in the top position. Tied 2-2 going into the third period, Beck elected to give up a point to start in neutral position. This ended up being the deciding moment of the match as neither wrestler could take control in the final two minutes. 

Dalton moves into next week's tournament hoping to improve on his seventh-place finish in 2023. 

Four matches later, Dalton was able to watch his older brother accomplish the same results. 

Dane, who came into the tournament as the third seed out of District 9, went head to head with Chase Bell of Reyonds in the final match of the 139 bracket. It was tied after one period and Dane chose the bottom position for the second period. He struggled through for an escape and earned the only points of the matchup. Dane is now 35-10 after going 4-0 at regionals. 

"Last year I didn't medal, hopefully this year (I will)," Dane said, noting that going in as a top seed out of the region show give him a slightly easier path to that goal. "It's all tough down there." 

Also qualifying for Cranberry were Aiden Thompson, 107 pounds, and Elijah Brosius, 127 pounds, both finishing third in their respective brackets. 

Thompson, a freshman who attends Oil City High School, beat Hunter Chew of Harbor Creek with a 5-3 decision in the third-place match. 

Brosius pinned Kyler See of North East in 2:57 to earn his third bronze medal at regionals in as many years. The Oil City junior was third in the 106 bracket in 2022 and third in the 121 bracket in 2023. He turned both of those state qualifying opportunites into state medals, finishing eighth both years. 

"Our kids have put in the work to be here," Dustin Wenner said of his quartet of qualifiers.

It was a weekend of excitement for the Berries. On Friday, Brosius and Dane Wenner both recorded their 100th career wins. 

Brosius did so with a 10-7 victory, also against See in the quarterfinals. "The match wasn't really in my favor or going how I wanted it to go," Brosius said looking back on win 100. "All that matters is that I won and got to 100." He won two more times in the tournament and sits at 36-10 on the season and 102-31 in his career. 

Dane has also accumulated 100 wins in only two years. The junior pinned Glenn Sample of Saegertown in 1:28 to open the tournament. "It feels pretty great, especially after winning the tournament as well. I knew coming in that I was at 99," he said. "God has just given me a lot ability and just a lot of motivation to work hard and also my dad and my coaches they've pushed me. I really have been given a lot of opportunities to become as good as I can be." 

This puts them both in the hunt for the school record next year. "As long as they stay healthy, I look for both of them to set the school record (next year)," Dustin said. 

"Me and Elijah are pretty close, but I think Dalton is probably going to blow us both away," Dane said. 

For now, they put their focus on Hershey and attempting to bring home four medals. ​The group will leave of Wednesday to settle in and get a lay of the land before competition starts on Thursday and runs through finals on Saturday.

"It says a lot for the families (who) are involved in our wrestling program right now. They hold their kids accountable and make sure they get to practice... and the extra stuff and it pays off," Dustin said. "I'm just really grateful for what I am surrounded by - good coaches, supportive parents and families, and kids (who) work hard."  

You can watch a lot of the Cranberry matches from the past weekend on the team's Facebook page - Cranberry Area Wrestling.